A Different Today Than Yesterday
by Urun
Summary: Bishop Pennington was having a bad night. "What are we supposed to do now? Knock on all the doors until we find either Godric or Laura?" "Yep." And it only got worse and worse. GodricXOC
1. Chapter 1 Exodus

A/N: So, hello everyone. This is my first fic, here at Fanfiction . net, and hopefully, it will not be my last. This story came about because there is only one GodricXOC story on this whole site. What is up with that? He's my favorite character. (Well, one of them.) And so, here is my story. I haven't had this beta'd, so please forgive any mistakes (and please point them out to me so I can fix them). And does anyone know the song I stole the title from? Kudos to you if you know. Well, that's all for now. I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter!

* * *

A Different Today than Yesterday

**Chapter One: Exodus**

_With you, these streets are heaven._  
_Now home feels so foreign._  
_They told me I was mistaken, infatuated,_  
_And I was afraid to trust my hunches._  
_Now I am ready._  
_Utada – Exodus '04_

* * *

"Did you hear? There's a _vampire_ in the basement and we're going to sacrifice him at dawn!" the voice of Mrs. Louis trilled as she tried to whisper to her gossip buddies. Mrs. Louis never could whisper, even if it would save her life.

"Oh, yes! I heard he is over 2,000 years old! Can you believe it? It has been around for that long and no one's done the sensible thing and ended its miserable…being," one of the gossips whispered harshly. I could hear the disapproval in her aging voice.

As the old bats went back and forth about the mysterious vampire in the basement, I tried to lean closer and closer to them to hear. The laughter of little kids and the chatter of the adults were making it hard to eavesdrop. Really, a vampire in the Light of Day Church? That was impossible, right?

"Why if it isn't little Bishop Pennington! My how you have grown up! Steve will be shocked to see you now," the peppy voice of Sarah Newlin gushed causing me to give a startled shriek. Mrs. Newlin seemed slightly surprised at my squawk, but her smile never faded. Calming my beating heart I gave her my brightest smile. I had always liked Mrs. Newlin. When I was younger, she used to babysit me. She was the nicest person I had ever met. While I never admitted it out loud, I always wanted to be just like her.

"Ms. Sarah, what a pleasure to see you! I didn't think we'd get time to talk with all of the people here. And it doesn't seem like the flood of people is going to stop soon!"

Mrs. Newlin gave a twinkling laugh. "Yes, that's just what we like to see. I just came over to say 'hi.' I needed a break from greeting everyone at the door," she confessed. It made me feel a bit badly that she had to greet all of us by herself. Normally Steve was right there with her.

"Oh, of course! You deserve a break, Ms. Sarah."

My remark caused her to blush with humbleness. We went on for a little while longer before she decided she had to get back to work. I offered to greet the members of the lock-in with her so that she didn't have to do it all by herself, but she rebuked me. She didn't want to take away any of the fun the lock-in had to offer.

Although, what fun she was referring to is still questionable. I had been to plenty of lock-ins, but none at the Light of Day Church itself. So far, it was more boring than the others I had been to, probably because of the sheer volume of people attending.

Absolutely bored, I began to pace the sanctuary. While pacing, bits of conversations attacked my ears. About 60% of the conversations were about the vampire hidden in the basement. Although, I guess he wouldn't be considered hidden if everyone seemed to know where he was.

A few of the organizers began to ask everyone to get situated for the lock-in, it was about to begin. With a shrug, I made my way to the bathroom, only to discover it completely filled with prepubescent girls asking if their make-up and hair looked alright. Sighing, I hurried off to a bathroom on the next floor. Thankfully, no one was in that bathroom and I was free from the shallow talk of girls.

After what was, admittedly, a long period of time, I raced out of the bathroom hoping that the doors hadn't been locked yet. To my alarm, the members of the congregation were not in the sanctuary having fun, but surrounding the doors armed with guns, silver, and grimaces.

My sister, Laura, waved me over to her, a stake in one hand and a delicate chain of silver in the other. "There is a vampire in the sanctuary with Steve! Here, put this around you so you can protect yourself," she said as she wrapped the chain of silver around my neck, letting the ends fall to reach just above my knees.

A large man motioned for us all to file into the sanctuary. I was terrified. The first thing I saw as we marched into the sanctuary was a pretty blonde woman being restrained by a few male members of the congregation. The next thing was her giant of a companion who looked coldly calm juxtaposed to her livid demeanor.

Steve began another one of his "vampires are evil" monologues while being interrupted every few minutes by the blonde woman, whom it seemed, was named Sookie Stackhouse.

I had to look away when the blond vampire was held down by a long chain of silver, but the sizzling sound that came from the action still rang through my ears. This wasn't right.

No, it was perfectly righteous. He was a vampire, a child of Satan. They all deserved to die.

But, did they really? Once, they had to be human, with human emotions, with human family members, with human lives. Would killing a vampire be considered as a sin? It is a sin to murder a fellow human, does the same apply to vampires?

I was confused, so confused. So many things I had been taught as a child argued that vampires were deadly creatures that should perish while my own mind disagreed quietly. It made me think of Ms. Sarah before she married Steve. She had been pretty and peppy then too, but she and her sister had supported vampires. Only the disappearance of her sister had changed her mind. But how was anyone to know what happened to her sister? A body was never found. Perhaps she had simply run away and all of Ms. Sarah's hatred had been wrongly placed.

My thoughts were giving me a headache and the situation wasn't any better now than it was before. I secretly hoped the vampire got away, along with Sookie.

Suddenly, doors to the sanctuary flew open and another vampire stood before us. Within minutes, what seemed to be a vampire army surrounded us all. I think we were all scared, trembling with terror.

None of us wanted to die.

There was more arguing about things I didn't understand before Steve pulled a gun on Sookie. I was genuinely terrified for her. Without warning, Steve cried in pain as the sound of a gun shot rang through the air. A man that looked strangely familiar held a pain ball gun; clearly he was the one who had shot Steve.

It was then that I realized why he looked familiar; he was Sookie Stackhouse's brother. More fighting and arguing waged until suddenly, vampires grabbed as many of us as possible, pushing our heads to the side to reveal our necks. I almost screamed when the pale arm of a pretty vampire slid around my waist while her other hand yanked my hair aside.

"Enough!" an unfamiliar voice reverberated through the room. Everyone looked up to see a figure dressed in an off-white outfit.

He was beautiful. Breathtaking. Exotic. Dangerous. He was a vampire. That much I could tell.

This new vampire addressed a male vampire in a cowboy get-up. "These people have not harmed me. See, we can co-exist."

He then proceeded to ask Steve for peace, which Steve readily turned down. "Kill me. Do it. Jesus will protect me," he said as he kneeled before the original blond vampire.

"I am actually older than your Jesus. I wish I could have known him, but I missed it," the vampire said off-handedly. In a different situation, I would have laughed.

Suddenly, the vampire was pulling Steve up by his neck. "Good people, who of you are willing to die for this man's madness?" he asked the crowd. Silence echoed back at him. He gave a knowing look to us all. "That's what I thought."

"People, go home, it's over now."

Slowly, the vampires around me were releasing the humans. The vampire that held me gave me a final squeeze before she let her arms drop. I was hesitant to leave like the others. Steve's weak cries asking us not to leave him sent chills up my spine, but still I didn't want to leave.

Apparently, neither did another man. He stood behind the cowboy vampire while I stood closer to the sanctuary doors. After a short time, the man walked through the doors, forcing me to go as well.

Trying to go as slowly as possible, I took baby steps to the front doors. My frustrating sluggishness was rewarded only seconds later, however. The vampire, the one the cowboy called "Sheriff," walked through the sanctuary doors.

Flinging my caution to the wind, I strode up to him causing him to halt his purposeful march. He stared curiously at me as I shook before him. I didn't do well with males of my own species, so to think that I could talk to one of his species was laughable.

"Um…I, uh, wanted to, um, thank you…for saving us. You really didn't have to. I mean, I'm glad you did, but, uh, I, well," I stuttered before he cut me off.

"Truly, it was my duty to keep everyone safe, both vampire and human. I thank you for your manners, however."

With that, I knew I was dismissed. He returned to his trek to where ever it was he was headed. With the last of my courage, for after that night, my courage was down to its final drops, I managed to shout to him, "My name's Bishop! What's yours?"

He turned slightly with an amused smile. "Godric." And then he was gone.

"Bishop, what are you doing conversing with that creature of Hell?" Laura growled as she placed a steel grip on my arm. Even though Laura was my younger sister, she still managed to treat me as the younger one. With an angry frown, I yanked my arm from her grasp.

"Leave me alone Laura. I was just thanking him for saving us."

Laura looked at me with disgust. "He didn't save us. It was his kind's fault that it happened in the first place. It was God who saved us," she sneered.

I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Unfortunately, Laura noticed. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed into a straight line. This was a tell-tale sign that she was about to explode. With a sigh I grabbed her bicep and began to lead her to our car. "Forget about, Laura. I didn't mean anything by it and I am most certainly not going to see him again. So you don't have to worry."

Laura didn't respond to me and instead threw herself into the passenger seat. She didn't even buckle up. The ride home was made in silence.


	2. Chapter 2 Secret

A/N: Oh my goodness! Godric died. I think I'm going to have a heart attack. Really. But did anyone else think Eric was looking pretty fine tonight? Yeah...so, anyway. Someone asked if I had read the books and the answer is...no. Which makes me sad, but I can never find the first book. It really frustrates me, but soon, very soon, I will find that first book and read the series. Lol. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. And, just so everyone knows, this story has been shortened considerably because of Godric's demise. Darn!

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A Different Today than Yesterday

**Chapter Two: Secret**

_Why do you smile like you've been told a secret?_  
_Now you're telling lies 'cause you have sworn to keep it._  
_But no one keeps a secret._  
_No one keeps a secret._  
_The Pierces – Secret_

* * *

When we arrived home, Laura ran upstairs to her room, stomping her feet as she went. It was obvious that she was angry with me for speaking to a vampire when it wasn't really necessary. To Laura, vampires were the ultimate evil. Her faith in this was sometimes so overbearing that I felt like it was suffocating not only me, but everyone around her. Laura was blind to it.

I had to admit that I was a bit envious of Laura, though. She was so sure in her faith and beliefs while I was uncertain and, at times, curious. We had both grown up in the same house with the same parents and the same schools. It was strange how different we had turned out.

"My goodness, what in the world is going on here? Why aren't you at the lock-in?" Mother questioned as she walked in from the kitchen. She had white hand prints on her navy blue apron signaling she had been baking. Mother always baked. She said it helped her relax.

"It's nothing, Mother. The lock-in was cancelled because a few of the guests were afraid vampires would come. It's no big deal, I promise" I lied. While my mother wasn't necessarily _against_ vampires, I didn't think she would fair too well if I told her the real reason the lock-in was cancelled. To tell the truth, I wasn't really sure what had happened anyway.

Mother looked skeptical, but as she had no reason to doubt me, she soon took my word as the truth. "Is that why your sister is so upset? I know how she feels about vampires," Mother remarked. I was forced to nod. I felt badly for lying as I saw Mother's worried look etched on her pale face. She twisted a strand of dark brown hair with one finger and glanced upstairs where Laura's room was located.

"I just wish your sister would make room for some fear in that mind of hers. It's all well and good to hate vampires, but any sensible person knows to fear them as well. I worry she might do something stupid one of these days."

Again, I nodded. There was an awkward pause before Mother spoke again.

"Bishop, watch over your sister. She's not always as level headed as you are. Can you promise me you'll keep her safe?" Mother asked with a look of desperation on her face. Mother always worried about us ever since Father died last year. It was cancer. We didn't catch it in time and so we paid the price.

"Sure, Mom. I'll look after her."

Mother didn't say anything about my small slip of tongue. Before Father died, they were Mom and Dad, not Father and Mother. I guess I felt that if I detached myself from Father, it wouldn't hurt as badly to know that he had died. It had worked for a little while, but soon reality had hit me. Now it was just a habit.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed now. See you in the morning," I said before giving my mother a kiss on the cheek. With that, I walked up to my room.

In my room, I changed into my pajamas which consisted of a purple tank top and obnoxiously pink pajama bottoms. With a sigh, I went to the bathroom down the hall to wipe off my make-up and put my long brown hair in a bun. It was almost 10:30 at night, meaning that I had to either go to bed then or wake up the next morning looking like a zombie.

Suddenly, the phone rang causing me to jump. While my heart started to calm again, I grabbed the phone in the hallway. "Hello, Pennington residence. May I ask who is calling?" I droned politely. There was a small cough and then silence on the other line.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked a bit disturbed. That was how horror movies started.

"Ah, yes. I'm Luke McDonald. I'm from the Light of Day Church. Can I speak to Laura?" a nervous voice answered.

It was strange, getting a call from a guy I had met only once who was asking to talk to my little sister. To put the icing on the proverbial cake, he sounded edgy and unstable.

Making a split second decision, I replied, "No, I don't think you should talk to her, Mr. McDonald. It is impolite to call a young woman at…" I didn't get to finish my sentence as my sister ripped the phone out of my hands, blue eyes glaring at me as she did it.

"Excuse you. I believe this call is for me. Now go away," she sneered before walking to her room and slamming the door. I heard the lock click into place and the radio being turned on, drowning out any talk that I might have been able to hear.

Eyebrows raised, I quickly sprinted to the living room where the second telephone was located. Trying the make as little noise as possible, I slowly put the receiver to my ear. I caught the end of whatever Laura had been saying.

"…do that?"

"Yeah. I'm going to do it, Laura. I have to! Those fangers aren't just going to go away. I know it. What if you're next or Bishop? You saw the way that vamp looked at her as it was leaving," the Luke fellow replied shakily. I had to stifle a gasp. They were talking about Godric and me, and from what I could gather, it was nothing good.

"Isn't there another way, Luke?" I heard Laura whimper. The conversation was giving me the creeps. There was something seriously wrong with the topic of choice. It was a few moments before Luke responded to Laura's question.

"No. I don't think so. Laura, I trust you, so I'm going to ask that you meet me and the others at the gas station. Bring as many silver chains as you can. Okay?"

There was silence.

"Okay," Laura responded softly. On the other line, Luke sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I'll see you in ten. Bye."

"Bye."

They both hung up the phone and I was left listening to the dial tone. My mind was blank. It wasn't until the automatic operator told me to hang up that I came to my senses. If Laura was going to do something stupid and dangerous, and it did sound stupid and dangerous, then it was my duty to keep her from harm.

With a resolute sigh, I marched up the stairs and to her room. "Laura, can I come in?"

She didn't answer me. Frowning, I tried her door, it was still locked and her music was still on. I knew I would have to get the key, so grabbed a stool from the bathroom and stepped on it to give me the required height to reach above her door where her key was sitting, covered in dust. She was so predictable.

Impatient, I fumbled with the key, but managed to unlock the door in a relatively timely fashion. Opening the door I saw the scene of every parents' horror, the window open and her backpack gone. Oh and no Laura.

I groaned in irritation. That meant that I would have to follow her to the gas station and go traipsing who knows where. I grabbed a pair of old tennis shoes and then grabbed my old, pink Barbie flashlight. With those items, I was ready to go.

As quietly as I could, I opened the front door and stepped outside. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused me to pause my sneaking. Behind me, Mother stood with her hands on her hips and her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked.

I knew there wasn't any point in lying to her, so I told her the truth – well, half the truth.

"Laura snuck out, so I'm going to see where she goes. It was a boy on the phone, you know," I said with a shrug. Mother didn't seem placated, but before long she sighed.

"Oh, alright. Just be home before 3 AM. I'm not waiting any longer than that," she grumbled testily. I smiled and assured her we would be home well before then. She stomped back to the kitchen and I sped out of the house, closing the front door behind me.

As I hoofed it to the only gas station for a few miles, I muttered curses and insults to Laura and her new little boyfriend, Luke. It was their fault that I would be a literal living zombie in the morning. I kind of wanted to drag Laura by her pretty blonde hair all the way home, but I knew that would be considered domestic violence and so it was a no-no.

It wasn't too long before I came upon the rusty gas station that still managed to stay in business. It wasn't hard to spot the tall guy in the trench coat and the pretty blonde in pajamas, Luke and my sister, the other two guys next to the gray pick-up truck were strangers to me. Luke opened his trench coat and Laura seemed to fix a few details of what was under it. She was crying as she did it. The other two men seemed to find the whole situation hilarious.

I struggled to see what it was she was doing, but in the dim light, nothing was really clear enough. It wasn't until she stood back to inspect her handiwork that I recognized the tell-tale signs of a bomb strapped to Luke's stomach with silver chains, silver bullets, and crucifixes. I could feel a wave of nausea run through me. A suicide bomber.

"Oh hell no," I growled. "There is no way I can keep up with a stupid truck on feet."

Growling some more, I whipped out my cell phone and quickly dialed my best friend, Elise's, phone number.

"Hello?" her sleepy voice asked.

"I'm really sorry to wake you up, especially for this, but can you get to the gas station in like, three minutes?" I questioned. A pregnant pause followed shortly.

"Why?"

I sighed in irritation. "Listen, I don't have time to explain. Just get your ass down here in three minutes or else I'm going to be an extremely pissed off girl, okay?"

Obviously I was already an extremely pissed off girl, but who really cares about details. At that moment in time I had to prevent a really stupid guy from doing a really stupid thing.

Two minutes later, Elise's car pulled up next to me. It was a good thing she lived only five minutes away. As fast as I could, I hopped into her car and buckled my seatbelt. It was a few moments before I answered the questioning look on her face.

"Do you see that gray pick-up truck over there?"

"The one with Laura next to it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Well, you see, the guy in the trench coat is going to bomb something, probably filled with innocent vampires, so I need you to follow them so that I can stop it."

Elise's green eyes widened. She was a bit of a vampire freak. "Really? Vampires, real vampires?"

"Yes, Elise, real vampires. Now can we go? They've already left!" I yelled as I pointed out the window where the grey truck was driving down the small road. Elise didn't need to be told twice; she sped after them like a cheetah on a poor antelope.

The car ride was made in silence as we were both anxious to get to the vampire filled destination. It wasn't until a large house came into view that either one of us talked.

"So, what's the plan?" Elise asked me with excitement.

I shrugged pathetically. "I don't have a plan."

"What do you mean you don't have a plan?"

Again I shrugged. While she was still in wonder at my lack of thinking, I jumped out of the car and began to sprint to one of the large windows. I could see a lot of vampires and a few humans having a lovely night together, laughing and talking. In a corner was the vampire I had met earlier, Godric.

Taking whatever bravery I had, I tapped on the window as hard as I could. Several vampires turned to glance at me, giving me strange looks. It did seem kind of idiotic that I was knocking on the window instead of going through the front door, but I couldn't risk getting caught by Luke or the others.

Of the vampires I caught the attention of only one came to the window, Godric. Without even hesitating, he opened the window and pulled me through in seconds. "Bishop, correct?" he asked me kindly.

I nodded as I couldn't find my voice in my nervousness.

"Would you like to sit down? You seem tense." He led me to the chair he had occupied only seconds before and gently pushed me into it. I fell like a sack of bricks onto the chair. I hadn't realized how scared I truly was of him, of vampires, of the whole situation alone.

Taking a deep breath, I began. "Godric, sir, um, mister, uh, what should I call you?"

"Godric is fine," he replied.

I nodded. "Right, of course. You see, well, um, Luke, you don't know him, but he's with the Light of Day Church, you know, um, the people who took you, well, I guess I could be considered one too, but um, well, what I'm trying to say is that…"

"Excuse me, could I have everyone's attention, please?" Luke's voice rang out.

"Oh crap. He's a suicide bomber!" I hissed to Godric.

As the words left my mouth, Luke pressed the detonation button. I couldn't see anything and the sound was deafening; for a few moments I thought I had died. It was only seconds later that I realized a cool body had ripped me from the chair and covered me milliseconds before the blast had reached us.

Slowly, the body unwound itself from me and I was staring into the brown eyes of Godric. "You did not get hurt?" he asked, checking. I shook my head frantically. I felt fine, apart from the fact that I fell on the hard floor with a surprisingly heavy body over top of me. I probably would have a bruise on my butt, but aside from that I was totally great.

Godric's house, however, was not so great. "Oh my stars in Heaven, look at your house! Oh goodness me, all of these people, will they be okay?" I asked, truly concerned. Godric didn't answer me, but he seemed worried as well and perhaps a bit shocked.

A pretty Hispanic vampire, who seemed perfectly fine, rushed over to us. "Sheriff, are you okay?"

"I am fine, Isabel. Check the dead and see who is missing," he commanded. She nodded and hurried over to the bodies, checking to see who was dead and who was still alive.

"Excuse me, I need to make arrangements with our hotel," he then told me. I stared dumbly at him a few moments before my head came back and found me.

"Wait, use my cell phone. It'll be faster than finding a working phone here." I pulled out my, admittedly old, cell phone out of my pajama pant pocket and handed it to him. He seemed to have no difficulty in using it. The conversation he had with the hotel took only a few minutes and my phone was returned safely to me.

He then began to walk to the living room where most of the damage occurred. Demurely, I followed him. I felt sick to my stomach at the blood and body parts dripping from the ceiling and walls.

Godric made a small speech to the living occupants of the mess, a speech I completely tuned out in shock. I didn't come back to the real world until Godric touched my shoulder.

"Are you leaving?" he asked me. It was then I realized the room was practically empty.

"Yes, I need to go home now before Mother gets worried."

Godric began walking me outside where Elise's car was still parked. Elise was waiting for me outside her car with her eyes wide open with fascination. She looked like a little kid at the circus.

"Elise, thank God! I didn't know if you had survived that or not!" she yelled as she hurled herself at me. I almost fell from the obviously taller girl's body and momentum. After Elise released me I turned to Godric who still stood next to me.

"Thank you, um, for saving me a second time. I'm not really sure how I get myself into these kinds of things, but I'm glad you seem to, well, be there to get me out of them."

Godric gave me a small, modest smile. "No, I have already said not to thank me. It is the duty of every living creature to help someone in need."

"Well, thank you anyway. I hope this isn't goodbye for good. Oh, crap, did I just say that?" I stuttered. Godric laughed softly at the startled look I wore. Elise stood with her mouth open the whole time.

"Perhaps it is. You never know these things. Goodnight." With that, he suddenly vanished. As soon as he was gone, Elise badgered me about the "sexy vamp" that had become my "knight in shining armor" (her words, not mine).

"Really, Elise, I've met him twice. That's it."

Elise gave me a sly grin. "Third time's the charm, right?"

I gave her a questioning glare. "What do you mean?"

"I happen to know where the vampires are staying. It's a vampire friendly hotel called Temptation Inn. I heard a few of the vampires talking about it to each other."

"Shut up and let's go. Laura and I have to be home in…thirty minutes. Oh my God! Laura, I completely forgot about her! Elise, we have to find her!"

Elise didn't look worried. "Oh, right, about that. There was a vampire out here who kind of ran off those two guys she was with and she may or may not have gone with one of the vampires who came out after the explosion."

"What? And you didn't feel that was important information for me to know about?"

Elise gave me a pathetic shrug. "Guess that means we'll just have to go to Temptation Inn to go get her."

I groaned as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Sweet Temptation, here we come!" she screamed, excitedly. My night had just gotten better.


	3. Chapter 3 SOS

A/N: Hey, everyone! Well, here's the next update. I didn't actually proof read this chapter, so there might be a few typos. Please just point them out and I will fix them. Also, I noticed that in the previous chapter I called Isabel "Isabella." I'll get around to fixing that later on. Well, this story has officially become AU. You'll see why. And has anyone seen Allan Hyde in that independent film "Please Stay?" I was scandalized, no joke. Lol. The acting was amazing (but what did I expect?), but the story made me squirm (O_O at the ending). Lol. That's all. Have a wonderful time reading!

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A Different Today than Yesterday

**Chapter Three: S.O.S.**

_It's cold and it's empty._  
_Just trying to exist_  
_When all I have is memories_  
_Of everything I miss._  
_Elise Estrada – S.O.S._

* * *

"This is it, Temptation Inn," Elise drawled as we pulled into a parking spot outside the front doors. The building looked new and modern and definitely expensive. It had a dark feeling around it, perhaps because of the time of day – night.

Elise and I stared up at the intimidating hotel in silence. Neither of us made a move to exit the tiny car. I could physically feel the seconds run past me and it was making me antsy.

"So, how are we going to find Laura? We don't know the vampire she came here with and I'm pretty sure none of the staff will be able to tell us where she is," I reasoned. Elise was quiet. I could tell she was thinking, however, by the look on her face. Elise might have been a vampire-obsessed twenty year old, but she was pretty intelligent when the time called for it.

"Why don't we ask for Godric's room? I'm sure he'll be able to help us find her."

"And why would he do that?" I deadpanned. Elise gave me a glare that put me in my place.

"Bishop, unless you have another idea, I think this is the only way we're going to get Laura back," was her growled response. I sighed, knowing she was right, there was no other way. And if I was being truthful, I was kind of excited that I would get to see Godric again so soon.

We both left the car and entered the hotel. Right off the bat we felt out of place. Everyone was dressed beautifully and sophisticatedly while Elise and I were still in our pajamas. We looked like Slumber Party Barbies gone wrong next to the elegantly dressed customers. Heck, even the workers looked sharp in their matching uniforms.

"Well, this feels awkward," Elise whispered to me. I had to nod in agreement. Shaking off our uncomfortable feelings, we walked up to the front desk where a smiling blonde woman greeted us.

"Uh, yeah, hi. Could you happen to tell us where Godric's room is?" I asked as politely as I could manage at three in the morning. The smile never left the woman's face.

"I'm sorry, but we don't give out information like that."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stop the headache that was already coming on. I could tell this would be more complicated than we had originally planned.

"Can you call his room and tell him that Bishop Pennington is in the lobby asking to see him?"

The woman nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes, I can do that. Please wait a moment."

She then began to type something into her computer before picking up the phone and dialing a number. The phone was so loud that I could hear the each ring. After six rings and no answer, the phone automatically went to voicemail. The receptionist left the message and then went back to work, assuming that our conversation was over.

"Excuse me, could we get a room on the same floor as Godric?" Elise asked suddenly with a sly smile. The receptionist's smile tightened before she looked up at us. She began to furiously type away on the computer before giving us another tight lipped smile.

"Lucky for you two, there is one available room on that floor. It's a two bedroom suite with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Does that fit your needs?"

Elise answered before I could even think about it. "We'll take it! How much is it?"

The tight smile on the woman's face sweetened as she answered brightly, "Oh, it's just $1,800 a night."

I choked on my spit for a moment. "$1,800 a night?" I basically screeched. The woman nodded her head happily. Elise didn't seem phased. With a small polite smile at the receptionist, Elise dragged me away.

"Listen, I have $2,000 in my bank account. We can use that money," she said seriously. I shook my head.

"No, you need that money! You have rent and bills to pay, not to mention you need to eat, Elise!" I argued. Elise grabbed my upper arms tightly and gave me a gentle shake.

"We have to find your sister. This is the only way, Bishop." I sighed in defeat and nodded in agreement.

With a happy smile, Elise pulled me back to the reception desk. Elise flipped a card at the receptionist. "Debit, please."

The woman glared at us, but did her job. Five minutes later Elise and I were presented with a plastic blue card with the number 513 marked in white on the top. "Take the elevator up to the fifth floor and then turn right. The door should be on the right. Have a nice night."

Elise and I rushed to the elevator and pressed the up button. It wasn't long before the elevator opened for us and we stepped in, anxious and excited. Well, I was anxious and Elise was excited.

Quickly, we rushed to our room and sped in. The suite was definitely worth the money. If we needed a suite, that is. The room was nice, but we had more problems than just a room.

With a huff, I dropped on the nearest bed. "What are we supposed to do now? Knock on all the doors until we find either Godric or Laura?" I joked half-heartedly.

"Yep. Are you ready?"

I groaned. "No, I'm not ready. I've just spent most of the night running around when I should be sleeping in my warm bed." Despite my complaining, I stood up and walked to the door where Elise was waiting for me.

Once we were in the hallway, we decided to split up in order to cover more ground in less time. "You go left, I'll go right. If we haven't found her by the time the sun comes up, we'll call the police and report her missing, okay?" Elise reasoned. I nodded. It was the best course of action we had.

The first few doors I tried got me dirty looks and lots of fangs snapped in my face. I apologized profusely to each and every person I disturbed. The tenth door I knocked on opened to reveal a familiar human man. "Jason Stackhouse, right?"

He nodded. "Do I know you?" he asked with a confused expression on his face. I blushed scarlet. Of course he wouldn't remember me. I didn't do anything worth remembering. We weren't even introduced to each other.

"Uh, well, no. I'm Bishop Pennington. I was, well, am, a part of the Light of Day Church. I was there when you shot Reverend Newlin in the head and hand. Nice shot, by the way," I rambled.

At first, Jason seemed apprehensive about me, but when I commended him on his aim, he relaxed considerably. "So, what're you doing here?"

I blushed again. "Oh, right. I was wondering if you've seen my sister, Laura, or Godric."

Jason shook his head. "Nope, sorry. I haven't seen 'em."

With a depressed sigh I thanked him for his time and said goodbye. "Wait. I don't know where they are, but maybe my sister, Sookie, does."

My head snapped up to stare at him. "Really?" I asked hopefully. With a friendly smile he nodded.

"Come on; let's go to Sookie's room." With that he shut his door and began to lead me to his sister's hotel room. The short journey was filled with Jason's bragging about how nice and smart his sister was. I could tell he was proud of her and loved her very much. There was a certain camaraderie that I felt with him. We both would do anything to protect our sisters.

Finally we came to Sookie's hotel room door. Knocking, Jason called out his sister's name. "Sookie. Sookie, open up."

After a few minutes Sookie opened to door with a confused look on her face. "What do you want Jason, there's an important meeting going on here."

Suddenly, Jason pushed me in front of him. "She's looking for Godric," he answered happily. It was a long pause before he remembered the next part. "Oh, and her sister."

For the umpteenth time that night, my face became a mini flame. He made it sound like I had a thing for Godric. Not that I didn't, because I couldn't deny that I did, but I didn't want everyone and there sister to know that I had an tiny little crush on him. Sookie gave me a strange look before beaming at me.

"Well come in then. Godric's inside."

For a moment I wanted to run away and hide for ever and ever, but Jason gently pushed me through the open doorway. Still pushing me, Jason followed Sookie into the room that held the small gathering of vampires. Godric glanced at me with slight surprise.

A slightly familiar blonde vampire glared at me with disinterest. "Who are you?" she asked haughtily. I couldn't find any words to answer her with. My mind had officially shut down.

"Uh, hey everybody," Jason started. "This is Bishop Pennington. She's looking for her sister and Godric."

What an introduction.

The blonde vampire raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me in distaste. "You'll have to wait. I'm currently on a tight schedule and I have to speak with Godric."

"That's, uh, fine. I'll just, um, wait here," I stuttered as I delicately sat on a cushioned chair. My nerves were about to make me hyperventilate. Jason and Sookie both seemed concerned.

The vampire seemed to shrug before she went back to her conversation with Godric. "What happened was stupid and a huge PR mess that I now have to clean up. I strip you of your position as sheriff of Area 9, Godric."

There was a huge uproar in the room. The tall blond vampire that I had seen at the church stood up in outrage while the pretty Hispanic vampire I met at Godric's house cried out at the injustice of it.

"Watch it Mr. Northman. I could take away your position as Sheriff of Area 5," she warned the blond vampire with a smirk.

He seemed to calm down at that. "You don't have that kind of power."

This apparently amused the female vampire as her smirk became a devilish smile. "Try me. I'm on T.V."

It was after she said that, that I finally realized why she seemed familiar. "You're Nan Flanagan, the spokeswoman of the American Vampire League!" I said, shocked. She looked different on T.V. Less pale and…dead.

My cry of astonishment caused the occupants of the room to stare at me again. Ms. Flanagan seemed annoyed by my presence in the room. Just as she was about to speak to me (probably to tell me to leave), Godric stepped in.

"Back to the situation at hand, I believe it is the best course of action that I resign from all positions of power and I give the position of sheriff to Isabel."

Isabel rejected this statement, pleading with Godric to fight back. Her pleas, as well as the demands of Mr. Northman, were ignored while Godric began apologizing to everyone.

After his sincere apology, the room was quiet. Everyone was shocked into silence. It wasn't until Ms. Flanagan got up that the room was breathable again.

"Geez, it's only two signatures," she complained to Godric before leaving the room. The other slowly filtered out of Sookie's hotel room. Before Godric left the room, he turned to Mr. Northman and murmured, "On the roof." This seemed to upset both Mr. Northman and Sookie.

The last of the people left the room, leaving me with Sookie and her vampire companion. I gave her a blank look. "I feel like I've been forgotten."

Sookie seemed embarrassed. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I think we did forget about you. Quick, let's go to the roof. That's where Godric will be."

Sookie took my arm and began dragging me out of the room despite the disagreement of the vampire. Not paying him any mind, she closed the door in his face and continued my ragdoll treatment. After walking up two flights of stairs, we reached the rooftop.

On the roof, Mr. Northman and Godric were softly arguing. Well, it was more of a disagreement.

Clearing her throat, Sookie grabbed the attention of the two vampires. "Sorry to interrupt, but it was brought to my attention that everyone forgot about Bishop over here. She still needs to talk to you, Godric."

Like her brother, Sookie pushed me in front of her putting me directly in front of Godric.

I gave him a small wave. "Hi. Well, um, remember how I was at your house and that I knew that Luke had that bomb? Well, the only reason I, um, knew was because my sister, Laura, she, well, she's the one that strapped the bomb on him. And, well," I was interrupted by Mr. Northman.

"Spit it out, little girl."

"Right. Laura came here with a vampire from your party. I need to find her before something bad happens. Please, can you help me?" I pleaded quickly. Mr. Northman scared me tremendously. I wasn't about to get on his bad side.

Godric looked torn for a few moments before he gave me a small smile and agreed to help me. "Eric," he addressed Mr. Northman, "tell Isabel to summon all of Area 9's vampires staying in this hotel. They need to bring all of their human companions, as well."

Eric nodded and was gone in a second. The rest of us followed him at a much slower pace. As we walked down the stairs I turned to Godric. "I know you don't like it when I thank you, but this time, I think you really deserve it. Thank you, Godric."

Unlike the previous times, Godric didn't refuse my gratitude. In fact, his mind seemed to be somewhere else. I didn't put much thought into it. When we finally reached Isabel's room, all of the vampires and their companions were already there.

"Godric, why did you ask for them?" Isabel questioned once Godric was in sight. Godric motioned to me.

"She is looking for her sister. Her sister is apparently in the company of one of your vampires, Sheriff."

Isabel looked uncomfortable with the title Godric used, but she nodded anyway. With a kind look she turned to me. "Do you see your sister here?"

I searched the room that was packed with both vampires and humans. There were plenty of blonde haired, blue eyed girls, but none of them was Laura. Godric must have seen the look of despair on my face as he asked Isabel, "Are there any vampires missing?"

It only took Isabel a few seconds before she was back with an answer. "Yes. Yoona Kang is missing."

Godric nodded. "What room is she staying in?"

"Room 587, Godric."

Godric gave Eric a meaningful glance and suddenly I was being held by the giant of a vampire. I didn't have time to argue before I felt suddenly sick. We were standing outside of room 587.

Eric let go of me quickly, leaving me to wobble unsteadily. "Next time, warn me before you do that," I moaned weakly. Eric pretty much ignored me.

With the spare room key, Isabel opened the hotel door. We were greeted with the image of a small Asian vampire being held to a chair with slender silver chains. Next to the whimpering vampire was Laura. She was kneeling on the floor, sobbing pathetically; a wooden stake was underneath the coffee table where it had apparently rolled to.

We could all hear her feeble mantra of "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."


	4. Chapter 4 Map the Soul

A/N: Hey! Here's the next chapter. Tomorrow is the next episode of True Blood! And then Monday is the first day of school for me. Nuuuu~ I have AP Calculus, then Anatomy Honors, then AP English, then AP Psychology, Drama, and then to end my day, AP Biology. Good stuff. (But seriously, AP Calc first thing every day?) A big thank you to Changer of Stories who pointed out a typo in the previous chapter as well as telling me the real name of the hotel everyone stayed at. I'm going to keep my hotel name though. I like it better:) Hm...that's about it. Enjoy. (Oh, and I absolutely love Epik High. They don't do English songs a lot, but when they do, they're great!)

* * *

A Different Today than Yesterday

**Chapter Four: Map the Soul**

_We must have a clue but we ask for evidence,  
Dwell in passing sentiments,  
Though we bask in eminence.  
Every moment, everyday,  
Busy getting paid away, the soul fades away _  
_Into a grainy shade of gray.  
Epik High – Map the Soul (Worldwide Version)_

* * *

Isabel gasped at the sight before us while Eric and Godric were stunned into silence. My mind had gone blank and my body numb. It was like my body had shut down everything except for pure instinct and at that moment, my instinct was to protect my sister.

Faster than I thought I could go, I dropped to the floor next to Laura and wrapped my arms around her. "Shh, it'll be okay, honey. Shh." I rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her down. Her face was pressed against my neck, muffling her sobs.

In the mean time, Isabel had walked into the room and freed the badly burned vampire. The sizzling noise that came with pulling off the silver sent shudders through my body. After the vampire healed, she and Isabel whispered to one another for a few moments. I couldn't hear what was said, however, as Laura's cries were too close to my ears.

"I-I couldn't d…do it, Bishop! I don't w-want to k-kill anybody!" Laura bawled. I patted her back, trying to comfort her. The whole situation was too surreal. Soon Laura's cries softened and she laid her head on my shoulder. "Are they going to kill me?" she asked quietly.

I squeezed her tighter. "No. No one is going to do anything to you," I answered her. Inside, I was terrified. They could kill her if they wanted to and there would be no way for me to stop them.

"Bishop," a voice called to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Bishop, I believe it is time you took your sister home. The sun is almost up."

I stared blankly at the owner of the voice, Godric. My brain was slow to process the information. Hesitantly, I began to stand, taking Laura with me.

"Will anything happen to Laura?" I questioned him. He gave me a kind look.

"I do not know. It is not in my jurisdiction. However, Isabel is a good sheriff. I am sure she will know what to do."

I nodded at him, showing him that I understood. With that I turned to the door and began helping Laura's shaking form walk. We made it to the doorway before Laura suddenly stopped.

"Laura, what is it?" I asked concerned. She brushed me away, turning instead to Godric.

"Thank you. I'm not a hopeless cause. Not yet, anyway. So don't give up, okay?"

To say that we were all shocked was an understatement. The first to recover was Godric. He gave Laura a smile that she reciprocated, albeit her smile was smaller and less friendly.

With that, we continued our journey to Elise's car. As we slowly puttered down the hall, Eric walked leisurely past us. As he passed, he gave me an odd glance. I couldn't tell what the look was supposed to mean as his face was completely blank. He gave me the creeps.

Laura and I stepped into the elevator and waited for it to stop on the first floor. On the ride down, Laura asked, "Do you think Mom will be angry?"

I gave her a look. That was one of the stupidest questions I had ever heard. It was almost five in the morning, both of us had been gone for the whole night, and the truth about the lock-in was probably going to be on the morning news.

"Do we have to tell her everything?" she quietly asked. She looked so worn out, I felt a bit sorry for her.

"Yes, we have to tell her everything. Don't worry. You go to sleep and I'll explain everything to Mother."

Laura gave me a thankful grin and hugged me tighter. Not long after that, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the hotel lobby. It was slow going to the front desk for check out, but when we made it there Elise was waiting patiently.

"Wow, he was right. You guys are slow," Elise drawled. "I'm glad I checked out already." Ignoring my glare, she grabbed her purse off the welcome desk and searched for her car keys.

"Aha! Found them. Come on guys, let's go."

Elise walked slowly in front of us, sighing impatiently every few seconds to let us know just how she felt about our pace. Every time she glanced back at us I made a funny face to irritate her. She just glared.

When we reached her beat up, blue car Laura settled into the back seat while I opened the trunk and stole one of the quilts Elise kept. Her grandmother was forever making quilts and handing them out to people. Elise just stuffed hers in her trunk and forgot about them. Thoughtful thing, wasn't she?

Tucking Laura in, in the back seat, I glanced over at Elise. She was busy fussy over her hair in the driver's mirror. Once Laura was comfortable and situated, I slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.

"You ready?" Elise asked. I nodded and then we were on our way.

The majority of the ride home was silent as Laura was quietly sleeping, Elise was driving, and I was thinking to myself. It wasn't until we were about five minutes away from our house that Elise suddenly spoke.

"So that blond vampire, what's his name?"

I blinked once, twice, three times before I answered her. "What blond vampire?"

Elise sighed in exasperation. "The really tall, really sexy blond vampire that came and got me when you found Laura," she explained.

"Eric came and got you?" I asked. It made sense. That was the reason he passed by Laura and me in the hallway and why Elise mentioned some guy that said we were slow.

"So that's his name? Eric," she sighed dreamily. Of course Elise had to fall for him. He could have been the poster boy for vampires. He had the dangerous air around him, the good looks, and the mystery that was a must for all vampires. At least, all fictional vampires.

When we finally arrived at our house, I got out and woke up Laura. After saying goodbye (and thank you) to Elise, she drove away, back to her apartment.

Taking out my key, I opened the front door and sent Laura up to her room. After checking the kitchen and the living room, I figured Mother had had to go into work early. Still, I tiptoed to my room, wincing at every creek.

It wasn't until I got to my room that I relaxed. I walked inside and then shut the door, which then resulted in a frightened scream from me.

Behind my door was Mother with a very angry glare on her face.

"I saw the news, Bishop Anne Pennington."

I sighed after realizing who it was behind my door. Then I realized that my full name was used. That was never a good sign for anybody. Semi-ignoring her, I sat on my bed and took off my shoes.

"Where were you two really at, Bishop?" Mother's angry tone softened a bit and took on a concerned edge. I could clearly see wrinkles on her face that hadn't been there just last year, before Father had died. It made me feel guilty that I had worried a woman that had been through so much already.

"The suicide bomber, Luke McDonald, he called Laura last night. He wanted her help, so she went to him. I followed to stop them, but I didn't make it in time. Luke detonated the bomb. After that, Laura left with some vampire. She was going to kill her, but she couldn't do it. Laura's not a killer."

During my small confession, Mother had glided over to my bed and had dropped onto it next to me, all energy drained from her. She didn't seem surprised by anything I said so I continued.

"The vampire sheriff and former vampire sheriff of this area helped me find her. I think she broke vampire law. We might have to leave Dallas for good," I explained.

There was silence for a few moments before Mother spoke.

"Or it could be worse."

I nodded soberly. "Or it could be worse."

Mother lied on my bed and closed her eyes. My guilt magnified tenfold for the worry and problems Laura and I were throwing on her. She didn't deserve daughters like us.

"When will we know what will happen?" she asked tiredly.

"I don't know. Probably tonight. We'll just have to see."

Mother nodded. Feeling particularly childish, I curled up next to her on the bed and closed my eyes. Sleep followed shortly as I hadn't gotten sleep at all the past night.

It was seven at night when I finally woke up to the sound of Mother cooking dinner. Stretching, I got out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. I walked down the hall to Laura's room where I opened the door and saw that she was still sleeping quietly.

With a small smile, I strolled over to her bedside and gave her forehead a kiss. I was glad that she was safe. As long as she was safe, I was content.

After walked out of her room and closing the door, I hurried down the stairs to Mother. She was making spaghetti with salad and French bread.

"Need any help?" I asked her. She told me no and sent me on my way to the living room where I then turned on the T.V. and discovered that even though we had over 800 channels, nothing was on.

While I was in the middle of deciding between the news or some cartoon channel, the door bell rang.

"I'll get it," I called as I jumped off the couch.

I made it to the door and then tried to see through the eye hole. I wasn't tall enough to reach it, so I just opened the door.

I was expecting a door-to-door salesman, not Godric, to be at the door. Startled, I gave a yelp.

"Bishop, dear, are you alright? Who's at the door?" Mother's voice called as she walked to the door. When she saw Godric the blood drained from her face.

"Are you here for Laura?" she asked fearfully. I was just as frightened as Mother was. I had just gotten my little sister back; they weren't going to take her away from me just yet.

"Good evening, Mrs. Pennington, Bishop. May I come in? I have a few things to discuss with both Bishop and Laura."

Mother looked hesitant, but with a swift look from me she nodded. "Of course. Please come in Mr.…"

"Godric. His name is Godric, Mother," I supplied.

I guided him to the dinning room where we all took a seat at the table. The air was tense around us as Mother and I were worried about the reasons for the visit.

"The crimes that Laura committed last night have the punishment of exile. She didn't do anything serious enough for death. Many vampires would disagree however. It would be in her best interest to leave the country to avoid those vampires," Godric started.

Mother's worried look faded a bit now that she knew Laura wasn't going to be killed. I was relieved to hear of the punishment.

"By when would we have to be gone?" I asked.

Godric sighed softly. "By tomorrow morning."

Mother stood up in outrage. I wasn't surprised at the time span. Most vampires didn't care how slow humans were. Everything had to be done at their superhuman pace.

"What if we don't want to leave?" came a small voice from the dinning room entrance. Cocooned in blankets was a bleary eyed Laura. "Would we die then?"

Godric was silent for a moment. "That brings me to my next point of discussion. Bishop also played a part in last night's happenings."

My breath caught in my throat. The sentence itself didn't sound too nice. I didn't remember doing anything to be punished for, though.

"Bishop tried to warn us of the suicide bomber before then saving the life of Yoona Kang, a vampire in Area 9. Because of those acts, the Sheriff is giving you a choice," Godric explained. "You can either leave America by morning or you can stay here in Dallas and continue with your normal lives. The only catch is that you must spy on the Fellowship of the Sun for the sheriff. We have been informed that you are close to Mrs. Sarah Newlin."

I nodded.

"You do not have to worry. Isabel does not want a spy so that she can attack the Fellowship of the Sun, but so she can keep her vampires safe from them. It is her duty to keep all vampires in her area safe. Something I failed in doing."

No one said a thing after Godric's confession. Laura, still keeping her distance from Godric, walked over to a chair and sat down. "I don't think I really have a choice with this. I will be your spy, but only if you keep Bishop out of trouble. I don't want the Fellowship of the Sun or any vampires trying to hurt her, okay?" Laura asked.

I stared at her, startled. Since when did I need protection? Last time I checked, it was me who saved her from whatever trouble she had managed to find herself in.

"I promise to keep Bishop safe from anything," Godric pledged. This seemed to make Laura and Mother, who had been silent all the while, happy.

Great, just what I needed. A vampire bodyguard.


	5. Chapter 5 Press Coverage

Hello, everyone. I'm back. I know this is a short chapter and I've been gone for a very long time, but hopefully I'll be back for the remander of this month and January. If all goes well, this story will be comeplete by then and my new True Blood story will be started. (I know, another one already!) Anyway, here is chapter 5!

* * *

A Different Today Than Yesterday

**Chapter Five: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage**

_Swear to shake it up, if you swear to listen._  
_Oh, we're still so young, desperate for attention._  
_I aim to be, your eyes…_  
_Panic! At The Disco – The Only Difference between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage_

* * *

Drip. Drip. Drip. It was a constant beat. It was so dark I couldn't see anything around me, but I could hear the sound of a leaking pipe. For one reason or another I was lying on the cool tile of the floor. Cautiously, I went on my hand and knees in order to better maneuver around the black room.

After a few hesitant feet of crawling I began to feel confidant in my ability to navigate in a strangely dark and empty room. It was the next foot of crawling that sent me in almost hysterics. My right hand came in contact with a large puddle of some sort of liquid. Suddenly, the lights flashed on and the scarlet pool I had disturbed was visible. It was blood.

Using my left hand, I muffled a scream. My eyes wouldn't look away from the pool of blood. It was then that I noticed there wasn't a pipe that was leaking. Blood was falling from the ceiling.

I was shaking. My mind was telling me not to look up, but my body was too far away to heed any form of sense. Painstakingly slow, my head turned toward the ceiling. As luck would have it, I would never know what was on the ceiling, dripping the crimson fluid. At that moment I woke up.

It was dark when I opened my eyes. Apparently I had slept all the next day after Godric had left. I had a feeling he wasn't really gone, however. You know, the whole bodyguard thing. What a pain.

It seemed I was adopting a vampiric sleeping schedule, too. That was a bigger pain.

"Oh, good, you're up," Laura said as she waltzed into my room. I stared at her blankly as she began to toy with the odd trinkets I had accumulated over the years on my dresser. It seemed as though she had something to tell me, but she wasn't saying anything.

Finally, the silence got to me. "Is there any particular reason you're here, darling dear sister?"

She sighed and set the pretty snow angel she was holding down. "Luke's funeral is Friday. I'm going. The Newlins will probably be there as well with his death being vampire related and all." Laura was calm and dry-eyed. I took that as a good sign, but perhaps she was still in shock over Luke's death. Truthfully, I still hadn't managed to get over it. Perhaps that was what my dream was all about. It made sense.

"So this is business?" I asked to break the silence.

Laura's head snapped up to gaze at me with her blue eyes so like my own. The look in her eyes was a bit disconcerting, however. "No, Luke was never business. Luke was a friend and I am going to a friend's funeral."

Properly chastised, I pulled my covers back and stood up. Blood rushed to my head making me dizzy for a few moments. Laura didn't seem to notice.

Carefully, I walked up to Laura and gave her a hug.

"What is this for?" Laura asked as I squeezed her.

Without letting her go, I answered, "Sometimes you just have to hug someone." My response evoked a girlish giggle from her which evaporated the heavy air around us. She quickly hugged me back before we parted.

"I love you," Laura said quietly. I smiled at her.

"I love you, too, Laura Marie."

We stood together in the quiet of my room. Unlike before, there was no sadness, no awkwardness, no depression. "I'll go with you to Luke's funeral. My baby sister shouldn't have to go alone." Laura nodded before walking out of my room. As soon as she left, I collapsed on my bed with a heavy sigh.

At that moment in time, I had to conflicting feelings. On one hand, I wanted to go back to sleep, but I was afraid I'd have another nightmare. That was something I never outgrew. On the other hand, I wanted to take a walk to clear my head. This option wasn't appealing as I didn't want to use energy. I felt like being lazy.

"Bishop, Laura, dinner is ready!" Mother's voice rang through the house. That pretty much decided for me. Food first, then whatever else I felt like doing.

Dinner was as normal as it could be considering the situation. Laura and I informed Mother of our plan to attend Luke's funeral.

"That's good of you. I'll make a few casseroles for you to take to his family, and Bishop, you can run down to the flower shop on Friday and get some lilies or marigolds," our mother arranged. Neither Laura nor I complained. I was a bit bugged that I was the one who had to get the flowers. That meant I had to walk to the florist as I had no car (or driver's license).

I know, it's really pathetic for a 20 year old woman to live at home with her mother and younger sister and not have a car or license. Bite me. Actually, don't.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Friday morning, I woke up early so I could run to the florist and get home in time to get ready for the funeral.

Wearing a ratty old T-shirt, sweat pants, and an ancient pair of tennis shoes I hoofed it to Miss May's Flower Emporium, the only florist around for another two miles (I was not walking another two miles, by the way).

Walking into the shop, a cloud of light perfume hit my nose. It smelled wonderful and exotic. It took a few moments before any worker made an appearance, however. From behind a large potted tree came a small woman (she was smaller than me) with graying brown hair and huge brown eyes magnified by her goggle-like glasses.

"Hello, Dear, I'm Petunia. Do you need any help?"

I swear to any god that is listening, her name was truly Petunia. It said so on her tiny name tag in sparkly cursive letters. She didn't seem to think anything was strange about her name or her name tag, so I decided not to ask.

"Yes, I'm looking for either lilies or marigolds. They're for a friend's funeral."

Petunia's radiant smile faded. "You're going to that McDonald boy's funeral, aren't you?" she asked somberly. I could only nod. "Feel free to look around. I'll have your flowers ready in about twenty minutes."

I made a sound of acknowledgment before floating towards a particularly colorful flower. As soon as I came up to it, I noticed another cheerfully bright flower. This game of "pick-me" soon came to an end when I found a small potted plant. It was tiny and red. In fact, it resembled strawberries from far away. As I was studying the strange flower, Petunia walked up behind me.

"That's the Strawberry Fields Globe Amaranth. They sure are cute little things. You look as though you've never seen one before," Petunia jabbered.

With a confused look I replied that I, in fact, hadn't seen one before.

Petunia gave a startlingly hideous laugh that lasted for a few moments before calming down. "I'm sorry; it's just that this is a flower native to Texas. All you have to do is walk outside and you'll see them all over the place. Hasn't your boyfriend ever picked one for you?"

I blushed pink. "Oh, I don't have a boyfriend so guess I never really noticed them."

"Yes," Petunia went on as if she never heard me. "This tiny little flower means 'immortal love' in the language of flowers. Strange, isn't it?" Her eye brows angled upward and her suddenly red eyes seemed to suddenly slant downward. I rubbed my eyes discretely. When I opened them up again, she looked normal again.

I glanced at her curiously before answering her with a question. "What's so strange about it?"

"It's scarlet, like blood."

The expression on her face began to worry me. I wasn't sure why, but there was something not right about the way she had said the word "blood." Perhaps I was still shaken from the nightmares I had begun to have ever since the bombing, but still the situation didn't seem safe. I could feel my skin crawl from the queer situation.

"Are my flowers ready?" I asked finally. I was breathing hard for no reason.

Petunia's radiant smile returned to her face. That scared me more than anything else. "Of course, I'll ring you up right now. Oh, and I'll even let you have the Amaranths for free."

With a strained grin, I thanked her and paid for the two small bouquets. As I left, I couldn't help but think that it was unnerving that she had made two identical bouquets for me even though I never mentioned I need two bouquets.

With those thoughts I began to walk faster.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It would seem that silly little Bishop Anne Pennington left her cellular device in our shop," Petunia giggled. A chorus of laughter soon followed hers.

"What are we going to do, sister?" a crackling high-pitched voice asked. The woman the voice belonged to was much younger than Petunia, but they looked very similar.

"Come here, Anemone," Petunia beckoned sweetly with her arms extended, waiting for her sister. Anemone rushed into her sister's arms with a look of pure bliss.

"Anemone, what have I told you?" Anemone seemed confused for a few moments.

"Be good and don't ask stupid questions?" she answered with a question. Petunia smiled warmly at the young woman and began to pet her head.

"Yes, yes. So you were listening." Anemone nodded her head enthusiastically reminding Petunia of a pet dog. "Then next time, don't just listen, carry through with my orders!"

Anemone cried out in pain and shock before Petunia roughly pushed her to the ground. Anemone's hands were pressed against her bleeding check were four long scratches were suddenly present. A sister, Aconitum, Anemone recognized, bent down to help Anemone stand.

"Antirrhinum!"

"Yes, sister," Antirrhinum answered.

"See to it that our honored guest realizes the situation he's in. Then I want you to go to Luke McDonald's funeral. We have a new friend to play with."

"Yes, sister," was chorused before Petunia stalked away from the room.

"And somebody stop that weed from bleeding all over my carpet!"

Anemone whimpered as two more sisters came to coddle her. Blue tears fought to spill over her cheeks. With the last of her pride, Anemone dried her eyes and went to her room.


End file.
